Life is beautiful

As I fly

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 22:31:00 +0000

The flight journey and experience is always different and depends on where you sit. Agree or not? I am talking about short duration flights (1-3 hours) and travelling in low cost local/ international airlines. Not the long journey international flights on Boeing or Airbus.

While I usually nail the window seat without fail (no, I don't use kerchief to get a seat), there were very few instances that I missed. Particularly when I am travelling in low cost airlines (3-3 seating arrangements). I mean, Who would want to pay additional money to get an allocated seat. I have often been lucky enough to get window seats, even in those instances.

I get excited, every-time, always if I had to sit on the window seat - like a kid; like that's my first time flight experience! I fix my eyes into the window so close that my nose literally touches the window. I keep peeping outside. I take pictures. I take videos. I see the 30000 foot view of the city. I enjoy the altocumulus clouds until the plane disappears itself into a huge cloud. When all I see is just a white space, I start concentrating on other things. I put my ear-plugs on, and start listening to music. Read the in-flight magazine. Or take out my novel and start reading them, until I see that white space emerging into a land mass again.

But the scenario is totally different if you sit in the aisle seat or middle seat. For instance, middle seat passengers are on their own world - either day dreaming or sleeping!

The sad group of passengers are those who sit on the aisle seat. Having to give-way every now and then to their co-window and middle passengers who go on to check the functionality of the flight sanitary conditions or probably to check their own ;)

As the aisle passenger fastens the seat belt, the middle passenger will have the urge to go for a pee-pee interval. When he returns back, the window passenger might remember that he never went for one in a long time, and disturbs the whole row to go to release the acid. The game doesn't end there.

Just when the aisle passenger is getting comfortable, his hand is accidentally hit more often by air hostess and other passengers when they walk down the aisle. Not to forget the fact that they are the first to be disturbed by the air hostess to show their hospitality! Talk about it. There's more! Can the aisle passenger ever take a peaceful nap just like rest of the passengers? No, I guess!

Once (and I think that's the only time) I had this not-so-fortunate-moment to travel in the aisle seat. As I fastened the seat belt, switched off my phone, I was eagerly waiting for the flight to take off. I noticed my co-middle passenger was playing crosswords for less than 5 minutes. As the pilot announced the flight take off, he closed off his eyes, hands locked tightly and bent his head down. As expected, the co-window passenger was looking outside the window.

Not less than 10 minutes the flight took off, and when I looked around, half a dozen of people had already dozed off. My husband is like that! Seriously, I just don't get it! I can never sleep in a flight! #confession

In few more minutes the flight reached a certain altitude, thankfully. I switched my phone to airplane mode, and plugged my earphone. The total journey was 1.5 hours and never (ever) in my life, 1.5 hours felt like 15 hours to me! That's actually the 2nd time in the same month that I travelled in the same airline company. I din't want to re-read the in-flight magazine over and over again! And to add to the blue, I kept my book inside the suitcase that was put on the overhead locker some 30 seats ahead of me. What a blow!

The unsettled me, started to look around, front and back, to observe something interesting. From an aisle seat, you can atleast see a dozen of people, right?? I love observing people, but mostly in an open space like a square, or cafe or parks. While sitting in aisle seat seemed a bit claustrophobic to me, observing people came as a savior!

My husby was sitting on another aisle seat few rows behind me (sadly, the last passengers to get into the flight) and he himself is a classic example. He slept with one hand on his chin, and another on the magazine which he never opened. His head was rested on the front seat. I know he can sleep anywhere as long as he gets any of the 4 things - a book (that is his sleeping pill), bright sunshine and nice breeze (his cradle), anything that is moving like bus, boat, train etc (would be his lullaby). You don't want to know the fourth one right? ;)

What surprised me was, there's a lot of people out there like my husband, as in "take a seat, and doze off types". Passengers sitting near the window seat have mostly maintained the same posture by bending their head slightly over the window with their closed eyes.

There was this old man sitting in the middle seat diagonally behind me. The moment he closed his eyes, his mouth opened automatically. He even snored briefly.

A teenager with the head phone sat behind me rested his head on his own seat. With his eyes closed, every now and then his lips and head moved (perhaps to the rhythm of music!).

A nerdy looking woman with her reading glasses was lost in her book she was holding - Fifty shades of Grey!

A small girl was holding her stuffed doll and was probably as bored as me. We met eyes quite often.

The air-hostesses were not looking appealing at all. One of her even looked very old.

After some observation, I started to type all this in my notes, and already finished listening to 20 something songs, the much needed flight announcement about the "preparing for land" came. In less than 20 minutes, I released my seat belt and disembarked the flight. I was so happy and relieved - so much like someone who just released the acid after controlling their bladder for an awful long time! Talking about it, my middle and window passengers had great bladder control! They never disturbed me throughout the journey :)

Wordless Wednesday - 18

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:28:00 +0000

Movie Reviews, and Me

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 21:58:00 +0000

After a long time, I am keeping my hands on my laptop. The saga of laptop booting problems and Trojan virus had made me mute in the e-space. I din't bother much about checking my email, or Facebook updates or that 100 + unread posts sitting on my reader. So, to sum up, last few days has been rewarding and I felt like I had more time than usual. I saw some new releases, read few books, and had some "me" time.

Recently I have seen controversies coming up with every film that gets released. XYZ party putting allegations on a movie and referring objectionable scenes/dialogues or because it has portrayed a community in a negative manner. Where has all these come from? Have we become so intolerant? A movie should be seen as a movie, an entertainment factor. If everyone starts taking things personal and gets offended, we have to stop seeing films. My message to the common men who are creating such controversies - If you are getting offended with a movie, just don't see it! Simple as that!

Well, I saw 2 movies which created a lot of controversies, but here's what I saw in the movie, and what I felt about. These are purely my opinion.

The hustle and bustle of much talked Vishwaroopam movie is slowly settling down, but I managed to see the movie first day first show here on 25th Jan. While my hands were eager to type in a blog post about the movie immediately, I just wanted to remain silent and let everyone enjoy the movie as much as I did without any bias. I loved every bits of movie. Kamal Hassan has proved he is truly an universal hero. Be it the elegant Kathak movements, or the way he transforms from his effeminate look to a fierceful combat person, he has done an amazing job. The combat and other action sequences were superbly handled and easily pumps out the adrenaline out of us. An electrifying action/thriller movie, which you can easily see more than once. But why this movie got into the ban or aggreviated communal feelings is beyond my understanding. I couldn't see anything that might hurt Islamic sentiments. The bad boys as shown in the film are Al-Qaeda terrorists and not a common man! People please grow up. It's a movie, and a really good one!

I also saw Mani Rathnam's Kadal (Sea) movie. I liked the movie - not a lot, but liked it as a fan of Manirathnam. It was not the best of Mani's, especially when he sets high expectations on his movies. Predictable and weak storyline is the major drawback of the film which is ~~supported~~ overshadowed by some amazing performances, cinematography and music. I wouldn't be wrong, if I say, the movie was owned by Aravind Swamy- A perfect comeback for him! Newcomer Gautham Karthik proves that he has dutifully carried the 'acting gene' from his grandfather and father. Showing the sea color in different moods, backdrops of every scene, nativity of fishing village were skillfully captured. And capturing cyclone Neelam isn't an easier job that Rajiv Menon handled too well. I can't miss out ARRji in this. I still wonder how he carefully chooses the rhythm and tune for ManiRathnam and make them so special and exclusive. The song Nenjukulle, which is my favorite song in the movie, and which I carried a lot of expectation, got lost behind the conversations and was not given much attention in the movie. Magudi song was used well throughout the movie. Overall, in my opinion, the movie can be a one time watch.

So what have you all been doing?

Here's to the new beginning!

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 11:43:00 +0000

Hello people! First of all, I wish you all a happy, healthy and fantastic new year ahead - a year that you will always cherish and whose memories will always linger in your heart.

Last year was fantastic personally for me, with job change, friends and family visits, lots of travelling, and an increased effort in blogging! Thanks to Project 366 - which I never completed, but managed to write an impressive 178 posts.

What's for this year then? I created a new travel blog - "My Footprints around the world" in http://travelwithanu.blogspot.co.uk/.

So go ahead, and do visit my new blog. Let me know your thoughts and suggestions, please.

Z for Zebra (as usual)

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 20:42:00 +0000

And the series have finally found its way to the epic finale - presenting Z for Zebra! I am now officially done with teaching ABC to all of you.

Y for the Yellow

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:24:00 +0000

The last yellow leaf that I saw in the end of November is making the penultimate post of ABC series to represent Y.

X for X Mas

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:56:00 +0000

X for Xperiencing Error in Blogger :(

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:34:00 +0000

Folks, for some reason I am facing some issues in my blogger which I have no idea. I tried to upload a picture, and it says that I have used 100% of my storage space. Is there even something like this? Or is it because blogger is linked with google?
Is this some recent development in the blogosphere or already existed? Please let me know.

W is for Watch

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:38:00 +0000

V is for VIEW

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:41:00 +0000

For some obscure reason, I am obsessed with taking photographs through the mirror. This is taken somewhere in north of Scotland where I could see beauty in every window and mirror. And I happily kept clicking them.

U is for Umbrella

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 23:53:00 +0000

Bright sun, blue shimmering water, white cotton clouds, golden sands and my red colored umbrella. Remembering the bygone sunny days!!

T as in a Tower

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 21:43:00 +0000

Yet again, I bring Tower Bridge in my blog but with a new rare outlook - a perspective which can be enjoyed only when you are walking or travelling on the bridge. There are very few bridges that take your breath away with their views and structure, and this Tower bridge for sure is one amongst them; and is my favourite so far. For now, I will let you enjoy this view. If you are interested, you can see some more fantastic views here.

S as in SWANS

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:07:00 +0000

I am never tired of taking pictures of these swans, and so are they. They are never tired to pose for my camera. On the nice autumn sun, I opened my brown bed packet, and they just came rushing towards me to have their feed. It's such a nice feeling to see them come to you. And I can sit and watch these swans for hours together - the way they brush and scratch their body!

R for Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 23:57:00 +0000

This is the Bass Rock along the coast of Eastern Scotland. This is a steep sided rock and is a largest home for the Gannets (a type of seabird). During the peak season (Apr - early october), the rock will appear white in color, which is due to the presence of hundreds and millions of these gannets coming for making homes.

Q for Queen (and not Quit!)

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 17:21:00 +0000

Q for Queen. This picture is taken inside Madame Tussaud's in London.
PS: Hiya there everyone. Hope all are doing great. I have been busy (as usual), and was ignoring the ABC challenge, 365 Project and my blog (as usual again!!). Time and again, I keep saying that things are busy my end, and I had absolutely no time to login to the blog or any network sites for a while now. I will spin the same safe story for now as well. Hope this rather large gap has only contributed towards reducing my indiblogger rank, but not the readers who visit my blog. Hoping to catch up with you all in the coming days. Take care for now...

P for "Performing Artist"

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 20:34:00 +0000

It's festival season in Edinburgh, and every corner of the city is dotted with street performing artists.

O for "Ode to Blog"

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 21:40:00 +0000

Please click on the photo to view the first post.

Spin the wheel 5 years ago, I remember the day I started this blog with the motive to jot down my experiences, thoughts and observations, and to record the little things that revolve around my life. For very many years I have been a silent blogger, just having a couple of loyal friends reading my blog. This blog had seen me grow in many folds of life - from a single girl to a married women, from an amateur to a bit matured person. I have improved my writing skills, made good friends and learnt a lot of things in this space.

My early blog posts had been more of sharing personal experiences, time spent with friends, corporate stuff, about S, my married life etc..Most of my contributions has always been light weight topic - nitty nuts, day to day happenings, a lot related to nature, photography, travel.

I am very bad with blog challenges - Not regular in my Project 366, so-so in ABC Challenge (which I am still struggling to finish)! I am not a frequent blogger too. Every now and then, my blog has posts that say "sorry for my long absence, I was too busy, things have been so tough"....blah ..blah!! To take a step towards blogging regularly, I took up Wordless Wednesdays and Thursday Challenge..Now everyday has become wordless Wednesdays for me! I have regretted that this writing space is transformed into a photo blog!

I am trying out everything that's possible to keep myself regular to the blog, and to keep myself motivated.

I owe so much to this blog, and have a great respect towards this space. Although I don't spend a lot of time on blogging, this is the space I love and look forward to visit everyday. I've made good friends here and I will treasure this relationship.

"I love you my blog, you inspire me everyday...muah"

I would like to thank everyone who support me, encourage me, motivate and inspire me (knowingly or unknowingly).

PS: Don't be too bothered about that extra-fittings in the photo!!

N for Nature

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:33:00 +0000

Nature never ceases to surprise me! At every part of my life, I see and I want to see those green colors everywhere around me.

M for "Manchester United"

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:17:00 +0000

For all the Man Uni fans out there!!!

L for L-O-V-E

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 22:51:00 +0000

K for Kite

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 21:17:00 +0000

J as in Jack

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:41:00 +0000

I for "Indian"

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 21:32:00 +0000

Captured from original picture
courtesy:
www.athleteindia.com

H for Hand

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 20:52:00 +0000

G - Go Green

noreply@blogger.com (Anu) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:05:00 +0000